For Jedikma. I've decided she's really a Knight now, and this is her Knighting present.

Thanks for clicking!

Title: A Passing AffairSummary: Siri goes to see Obi-Wan after the events of TPM.A/N: A few things. For one, this Siri isn't one we usually see - she's almost a Knight here, but before her undercover mission (which changed her). For another, I don't have the first Jedi Quest book, and so I'm depending on memory. If this doesn't quite fit with canon, that's why. A/N2: Thanks to Amidala_Skywalker for beta'ing, even though you know nothing about Siri.

Siri had decided years earlier that this particular garden in the Jedi Temple did not deserve the name; it was practically a jungle. Thick leaves, thin leaves, flowers and vines all vied for the same space, overflowing into everything, including ? it felt like ? Siri?s breathing air. This garden had been planted by throwing seeds, and letting them grow . . . and grow. All the gardeners ever tried to do was keep it somewhat within its boundaries; anything else was unfathomable.

She didn?t know, really, why she hadn?t looked here first.

This had been Qui-Gon?s favorite garden.

She was definitely going to have welts by the time she found Obi-Wan. Every time she thought she was getting close to Obi-Wan, some plant would get in her way and put her off track. It was getting beyond exasperating. Siri huffed out a breath, not quite willing to mutter her thoughts. How did anyone go here to meditate?

After another branch hit her in the face, swinging out of nowhere, Siri finally stopped, concluding it was time to take a break. She decided that getting through this monstrosity should be a required course for Padawans. It certainly felt like one of old Master Jen?s survival courses.

?Siri?? Obi-Wan?s voice floated from nowhere.

?Obi-Wan?? Siri returned, surprised, trying to see through the thick jungle. She jumped when something touched her arm unexpectedly, whirling ? and seeing Obi-Wan. ?You were closer than I expected,? Siri said wryly, trying to wave at the surrounding plants in explanation, but only succeeding in smacking her hand into an unexpectedly hard trunk. She winced.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. He took her hand. ?Come on,? was all he said.

Siri nodded, tightening her grip on his hand and following him as he began to move through the jungle. He moved much more quickly than Siri had, finding little paths Siri had never seen. He looked calm, almost completely normal, but the lack of a Padawan braid was throwing that first impression off. It sent a quiver through her, reminding her of her own Padawan status, still. It was hard to believe that there was now this gap between them. Not to mention what Master Adi had suggested as her Trial.

?Somewhat,? Obi-Wan said easily, not turning. ?That, and I think . . . Qui-Gon?s repeated attempts at trying to thump the Living Force into my skull. I can feel the pathways,? he said softly, slowing for a moment.

?I?m sorry,? Siri said quietly.

He squeezed her hand, but said nothing.

He led them into a small clearing Siri would never have expected existed. She had no idea where they were in relation to the rest of the little jungle, and the Temple, but here in this little spot there was a small pond with flat boulders surrounding it. She could hear the water faintly tinkling. Obi-Wan wrapped his cloak around his body tightly, and sat down on one of the boulders gracefully. He looked up at her.

?Qui-Gon came here a lot,? he said simply.

Siri nodded, not knowing what to say. She paused uncomfortably, and then sat opposite him, folding her legs comfortably, her cloak settling around her. ?So this is where you?ve been?? she asked. ?I?ve been looking for you for a while.

I really loved this. It had everything I love in a story. I'm jealous that this is for Jedikma, but I'm glad I got to share it. Lovely work, as always.

?I already had to, but thanks,? Obi-Wan said, the amusement fading a little. Siri could have slapped herself. Obi-Wan would be moving into new quarters, for him and Anakin. She suspected, though, that such little reminders would be common for a while.

?You?re not making this easy,? Siri said reprovingly, ignoring the sadness for the moment.

She leaned forward, closing her eyes, and kissed him. He went completely still, though Siri felt his breathing quicken. Then he pushed back, hesitantly. She opened her mouth, and so did he. And it was give and take, the smooth way they met, the way only that part of their bodies touched. He was so warm, so responsive, she felt the urge to take it further, to touch elsewhere . . .

First of all, Master, whatever gave you the idea that I would like a story about Obi-Wan and Siri.

*squeals* What a treat!!!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!

I loved it!

Siri smiled, overjoyed, as she had certainly not expected to be at losing their bet about which would reach Knighthood first. ?Yeah, you did.? She laughed softly. ?Decided what your prize is going to be? Keep in mind, you outrank me now, so no taking advantage,? she said, shaking her head at him mockingly.

He raised an eyebrow, giving her a considering expression. ?Why, Siri. I had no idea.?

A bittersweet little story, Obaona. I loved how she realised she was going to have to start pulling away soon to get to where she needs to be. But the opening was wonderful, very easy to picture the jungle. Great work!

Lovely Oba. It kind of reminded me of that one Temperature story you did. I think it was "It's Not The Heat, It's The Humidity." Anyway I thought it was very sweet and that the "prize" was very fitting for Siri to do. She keeps Obi Wan on his toes and suprises him. [face_swoon]

Also this was a wonderful thing to write for someone who has been Knighted.

I have to echo Gina- what really set this over the top was the great description. The jungle was very well described (great choice for a setting, BTW). Good dialogue and interaction between Siri, and while her feelings do seem to be genuine, the reader can still get a good feel into the ulterior motives that fuel her reckless behavior in this fic...

I really liked the subtlety of this, obaona. It's really easy with romances to quickly go way over the top and be very melodramatic about it. But I think you've proved to me by now that you don't write your romances like that This was great because it was a shared little moment that both of them knew was probably a little more serious than they'd let on on the surface, and yet that they also both knew couldn't really be anything more. I love that the way you wrote their relationship, it seemed a natural outgrowth of everything. And the added tension of Siri knowing the extremely tough mission that lies ahead for her was good, too. It just added to the kind of bittersweet feeling of the story. Great work as usual

You know, oba, at some point I will master the art of responding to fics as soon as I read them, and then the galaxy will fall to its feet in awe and wonder. Until then, kisses for another beautiful story.

She saw Obi-Wan slowly open his eyes, expression unreadable. Then he smiled, still warmly hesitant. ?Probably not what I would have picked, but perfect all the same,? he whispered.

Siri nodded, not willing to speak. Such a breaking from the path they had chosen ? she hadn?t truly expected it of herself. And this, how would this look, later? As another step onto a path to becoming Zara, to appearing to leave the Jedi? But it wasn?t that. No matter what Obi-Wan thought, later. That kiss had been for her. And him.

?Good,? Siri said at last.

*squeals* Okay, the gushing about the kissage aside ( ), the story was great, oba. A very pretty picture of a developing romance, whether or not it will develop any further, with everything that happens later. Which really makes it sweeter: just the one kiss, when everything can and will change.

Hate to be in Obi's shoes if he thinks she was kissing him just to shove it into the Council's collective face, though. ( )

VaderLVR64: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I think this one has a lot of different aspects to it, which is fun because it's also short.

Jedikma: Thank you. The setting and mood played a good part in this story, I think. I knew almost as soon as I had written the first paragraph that it would be good. And there's foreshadowing like crazy in there if you look for it. You're welcome, kma - you were a great Padawan.

Vongchild: A present for both of them, really. Thank you!

Kynstar: Yeah, some gift, they both got something out of it. I'm glad you liked those little touches. I'm glad you liked the bantering, too. Thank you!

Shaindl: It is. Am recommended it titling it 'bittersweet'. I'm glad you liked that extra complication - I didn't want to make things easy or simple for either character, because it just wouldn't be, not ever, really. The jungle was fun to write. Thank you!

StarFighter5: I'd forgotten about that fic. You're right, though, it does have some similarities. I didn't really do any foreshadowing in that one, but it does deal with things changing. I think Siri surprised herself in offering that prize, though you could tell it was on her mind. Thank you!

Kma deserves it. She was a great Padawan, very easy one to have, too.

Gina: Thank you. That first part was fun to write, especially since I knew the rest of the fic would be weighed down with other things. I'm glad you enjoyed, and that you liked those lines - I edited them a few times and almost cut it.

PadawanKitara: Obi-Wan isn't that repressed, certainly. Thank you!

Vivid_Scripts: The reason I did it that way (with description, the humor, that setting) is because some fics are purely one thing (which I also do), angst, humor, whatever, and the best ones have several elements. You're right about Siri, too, that's what I was going for. Thank you!

Indra: Thank you! I love it when readers can almost see it. That's so cool. Glad you enjoyed.

sdhfs: Thanks.

solojones: It is. You're lucky I wasn't tempted. And LOL, yes, I think I have. You really hit it on the nail, of course. Neither intended that moment to be as serious as it likely was, but I think that also allowed them to enjoy the moment. Denial ain't always bad - . The part about Siri's upcoming mission almost wasn't put in there, but I decided to follow canon (and include it, moreover). Writing in canon can be a real challenge, and I enjoyed it in this one. Thank you!

Hananiah Thank you. Aye, the bet was fun, especially since it really wasn't planned. But it worked out really well, and I can see them doing that.

Elli: You seem to be doing better than me about replying, you know. Thank you. Yeah, that's the interesting thing about it - it's almost a developing romance, but you can tell it's practically over before it begins - because of them being Jedi (there are no questions in his eyes, as a Knight, even there are in hers, as a Padawan) and because of her upcoming mission. Will Obi-Wan think Siri was just using him? I don't know. That's actually a good sequel idea.